A new lawsuit alleges that Bob Dylan groomed and sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in 1965. A spokesperson for Dylan tells Consequence, “The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.”
According to court documents viewed by Page Six and TMZ, a 68-year-old woman identified as J.C. alleges that “Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,” thereby “lower[ing] [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.”
The events allegedly took place at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. The “six-week period between April and May of 1965” overlaps with two separate Dylan tours, though the timeline does not necessarily disqualify the lawsuit. Dylan toured North America from January 29th, 1965, through April 20th, ending in Seattle, WA. Ten days later on April 30th, he began the famed tour of the UK that was shown in the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don’t Look Back. This English trek ended on May 10th in London. A few weeks later, on June 1st, Dylan performed at BBC Studios in London.
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The alleged abuse seemingly could have taken place in New York in the gaps between the tour dates. Dylan was one of the most famous and well-documented people in the world in 1965, and his movements during that time period will be heavily scrutinized in the coming days.
The lawsuit was filed late on Friday, shortly before the window closed on New York’s look-back window for the Child Victim’s Act, which enabled victims of childhood abuse to sue their attackers irregardless of the statute of limitations. In addition to sexual abuse, J.C. also alleges false imprisonment, assault, battery, and the infliction of emotional distress. She is asking for unspecified damages and a jury trial.